Top Ten 8-bit Nintendo Games of All Time!

8-bit Memories

Notice this article isn’t titled, “The Undisputed Top Ten 8-bit Nintendo Games…,” because I’m not sure I can really say what my top ten are. There are so many games from this system that I love and are not on the list below. I would most likely have to make a top 100 list to include all the games I truly loved and enjoyed playing. There was something magical about this first system. It changed everything and all games since are products of their 8-bit ancestors.

Contra– This was the first game I played that had a code to it. I’m sure those of you who played this game probably still remember it! This shooter was awesome and required the player to shoot everything in order to win. Players could get a few different guns. My favorite, like many of yours I’m sure, was spread-shot.

Pro Wrestling– When you win the match the game displays a message that says, “A WINNER IS YOU”. This became a popular internet meme. Each of my friends had their favorite character they would use. Mine? King Slender!

Tecmo Bowl-This game was fantastic even though it didn’t feature real teams. It did, however, feature actual player’s names. The game couldn’t use team names due to NFL licensing agreements.

Double Dribble– Anyone who played this game knew that there were areas on the court where you could shoot from and never miss. Also the most nostalgic thing about the game is the black and white dunk action sequence.

Legendary Wings– This game released in 1988 was based on Greek mythology and used that as a background for a flying sci-fi shooter. The gameplay was primarily top-down where you had to attack both air and ground targets.

Rygar– This was one of my favorite games because the world and music was so strange that it felt alien. The hero, Rygar, had to fight his way past monsters with a spinning yo-yo of death. The game was mostly a side-scroller but it did have top-down levels as well. Loved this game!

Super Mario Bros.– This game has to be on the list because it is iconic to the first Nintendo games. This game was first released in 1985 and has been seen remade over and over again since.

The Legend of Zelda– This game ate so many of my childhood hours. I was completely enthralled with it. The worlds, freaky creatures, and adventure was too much to not like. This was the first game that came with batteries for the storage of saved data. The game was released in 1987 and the commercial featured a very cool rap that named the various creatures. See below for the commercial.

Shadowgate– This game opened your imagination and made you think. Shadowgate was built as a point and click adventure game where the player had to make decisions and solve puzzles. While the game was mostly text-based storytelling it wasn’t boring at all and was kind of creepy.

Blaster Master– A fond story about Jason and his pet frog, Fred. Jason falls into a hole in the ground and discovers a battle tank named Sophia III. Jason puts on the pilot outfit and uses the tank to destroy mutants living in the subterranean world and save his frog Fred. This game was imaginative and action-packed.